


oh darling, don't you ever grow up

by jjibunrock



Series: Papa!Levi and Son!Eren [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Engagement, Established Relationship, Growing Up, M/M, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Parental Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), nostalgic Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 18:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2591039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjibunrock/pseuds/jjibunrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes a simple request from his son's boyfriend for Levi to realize that Eren really is growing up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh darling, don't you ever grow up

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift

“Uh, hi Mr. Jaeger.”

I raise my eyebrows at the person standing on my porch. Jean raises a hand and waves awkwardly, looking extremely uncomfortable. I cross my arms and lean against the doorway.

“Hello, Kirschstein,” I greet. “The last time I saw you, your hands were shoved down my son’s pants.”

Jean’s face instantly goes red. That had been a traumatic experience…for us _all_. Eren and I couldn’t be in the same room for over a week without feeling like crawling into a hole and disappearing, though I imagine it was worse for my son.

“I’m sorry about that,” he says, and rubs the back of his neck. “But there’s actually something I want to talk to you about.”

Instantly, alarms go off in my head. I stand up straight, my eyes already narrowing.

“What did you do to Eren?” I ask. Jean’s eyes instantly go round.

“Nothing!” he says. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

I instantly relax, holding the door open.

“Come in, then,” I say.

Jean nods graciously and steps inside. I lead him into the dining room, where we sit across from each other.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” I ask. Jean’s hand goes up to adjust the collar of his shirt. He looks away from me for a brief moment, probably to gather his courage. I lean back and wait impatiently.

“I…would like to ask your permission to ask Eren to marry me.”

I feel like the air has just been punched out of me. My jaw drops open, but no words come out. Out of all the things that he could have said, I suppose I should have expected that. But it wasn’t something I ever imagined. Hell, I was surprised when Eren had brought home this same boy to me three years ago. I never imagined my son growing up and forming a relationship, never mind getting _married_.

“Oh,” I say, and it’s all I _can_ say. My thoughts are one huge, jumbled mess. “You…”

“Uh, are you okay?” Jean asks, leaning forward slightly. He actually looks concerned. “You don’t have to answer-”

 “You caught me off guard,” I say, a forced chuckle escaping my lips.

“I know how important Eren is to you,” Jean says, smiling nervously. “And…he’s really important to me as well. I can’t imagine myself with anyone else.”

I exhale shakily.

“I…” I’m still unable to come up with a coherent thought. “Would it be alright if I got back to you later?”

“Of course,” Jean says, nodding. “I…I mean, I don’t know exactly how you feel, but I know that it’s probably hard for you. Take as much time as you need.”

I nod slowly and watch as he walks to the door. Almost as soon as the door click shuts, memories assault me. I saw Eren wrapped in a little blue blanket. I saw Eren walking to kindergarten with tears in his eyes because I wouldn’t be there. I saw Eren going through the ups and downs of adolescence. I saw him bringing Jean home, and I saw him laughing and crying and screaming and _everything_.

And suddenly, I realize that my son is no longer a boy.

The stairs creak, and when I look up Eren is standing in the entrance to the dining room. There’s an alarmed expression on his face, and he races to my side.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” he asks, his green eyes wide.

“What…?”

“You’re crying,” he says, and drags one of the chairs to my side. His hand reaches up and brushes tears away from my eyes. I think about how I used to do the same for him.

“I just realized something, that’s all,” I say gruffly. Eren’s eyes soften.

“You can tell me,” he says gently. My lips quirk up at the sides.

“You’re going to call me a sentimental old man,” I warn. Eren shrugs.

“It’s okay,” he says.

“You’re growing up,” I say, my voice low. “I mean, you’ve been growing up for a while. But only now I’ve realized it. You’re…you’re not a little boy anymore.”

“I’ll always be your little boy, Dad,” Eren says. He smiles at me. “I mean, I’ll always need you and everything. Maybe not at much when I was younger, but I will.”

I stare at him and feel like crying all over again. I settle for swallowing roughly and nodding.

* * *

 

_“Hello?”_

“Kirschstein,” I say. I can imagine Jean sitting straighter, like he always does when I talk to him.

 _“Hi, Mr. Jaeger,”_ he says. He sounds apprehensive.

I close my eyes shut.

“Take care of my son, okay?”

Jean laughs happily in my ear, and I bet that there's a huge smile on his face.

 _“I will,”_ he promises warmly. _“Thank you so much.”_

“You’re welcome,” I say, my voice cracking as I hang up.

Eren pokes his head into the living room; his eyebrows raised high on his forehead.

“Who was that, Dad?” he asks. I shake my head.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, and Eren shrugs and disappears back into the kitchen.

* * *

Three days later, I’m staring at a silver ring with a little emerald in the center. Eren is laughing and smiling, and when happy tears form at the corner of his eyes I smile and struggle not to cry as well.

“I’m getting married, Dad!” he says, and I’m surprised he’s not jumping up and down.

“I’m happy for you, son,” I say, and my eyes land on Jean. He smiles broadly at me.

Eren laughs again and throws his arms around me. I don’t see him as the little boy who would jump on me and try to suffocate me with his hugs and laugh in my ear. I see him as a man who’s beginning the next chapter of his life, a man that would still need me no matter what.

“I can’t believe it, Dad,” Eren says.

“I know,” I say. My chest aches. I cough and force away the tears in my eyes. “I love you, kid. You know that, right?”

“I know,” Eren says, his lips stretching into another grin. “I love you too, Dad.”

 


End file.
